Pressure, Flow, and Temperature Solutions for Straw-to-Sugar Production

Driven by China’s “dual-carbon” strategy and the growing circular economy, straw-based sugar production has emerged as a key pathway for turning agricultural residues into valuable resources. By converting crop straw into sugar solution through a series of steps—including pretreatment, cooking, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation—the process not only reduces the environmental impact of open burning, but also supplies a renewable feedstock for biofuels, food, pharmaceuticals and other industries. Yet this production approach demands exceptionally stable operating conditions and precise control throughout the process.Automated plant of a sugar feedstock manufacturer

Challenges

Complex media: Straw slurry is highly viscous and laden with impurities, making flow measurement susceptible to clogging and measurement drift.

Process fluctuations: Even slight changes in temperature or pressure during cooking or fermentation can directly influence sugar yield and product consistency.

Energy and safety pressures: Poor pressure stability in the cooking stage may introduce safety risks, while high energy consumption leads to elevated operating costs.

Challenges of continuous operation: Straw-to-sugar facilities often run for extended cycles, placing stricter demands on instrument reliability and immunity to process disturbances.

Solution

To address the specific challenges of the straw-to-sugar process, Micro Sensor provide an integrated suite of process measurement and control instruments:

・Pressure Transmitters

Installed on cooking vessels, filtration units and transfer pipelines to ensure real-time pressure monitoring, prevent leakage or rupture, and enhance equipment safety.

・Electromagnetic Flowmeters

Engineered for high-viscosity, impurity-laden slurry. Their wear- and corrosion-resistant design enables accurate flow measurement, helping plants optimize sugar yield and energy consumption.03

・Temperature Transmitters

Used across key stages—cooking, fermentation, evaporation and crystallization—to capture temperature changes in real time, safeguard enzyme activity and crystallization quality, and maintain product consistency.

Value Proposition

・Precision for Process Stability: High-precision sensors provide real-time monitoring and feedback of pressure, temperature and flow.

・Built for Abrasive, High-Solid Media: Instruments are optimized for high-fiber, impurity-rich media, ensuring reliable long-term operation.

・Lower Operating Costs, Higher Throughput: Reducing process fluctuations minimizes losses, improves conversion rates and lowers energy consumption.

・Ready for Smart, Connected Plants: Smart outputs support plant digitalization, remote monitoring and intelligent maintenance.

Typical Measurement Points

1. Dual-parameter monitoring (pressure and temperature) in the cooking vessel

2. Electromagnetic flow measurement of slurry pipelines

3. Temperature profiling in evaporation and crystallization units

4. Level and/or pressure monitoring in storage tanks and transfer systems

Industry Impact

With robust process measurement and control, straw-based sugar production not only maximizes raw-material utilization, but also provides a stable and sustainable feedstock for green energy, bio-based chemicals and the food industry. This is more than optimizing a single process—it represents a vital step in upgrading agricultural by-products into high-value, low-carbon industrial supply chains.